The Sound and Music of The Last of Us

In this exclusive SoundWorks Collection profile we talk with the sound and music team behind the critically acclaimed Naughty Dog Studios game, The Last of Us. We talk with Game Director Bruce Straley, Creative Director Neil Druckmann, Senior Sound Designer Derrick Espino, Audio Lead Phillip Kovats, Senior Audio Programmer Jonathan Lanier, and Music Manager, Jonathan Mayer.

Movie Studio

Sound Studio

Director

Original Music

Naughty Dog Studios

Naughty Dog Studios

Bruce Straley

Gustavo Santaolalla

Synopsis

Abandoned cities reclaimed by nature. A population decimated by a modern plague. Survivors are killing each other for food, weapons; whatever they can get their hands on.

InThe Last of Us, the player takes control of Joel (voiced by Troy Baker), who is trekking across a post-apocalyptic United States in 2033, in order to escort the young Ellie (voiced by Ashley Johnson) to a friendly resistance group. The players defend themselves against zombie-like humans, as well as hostile humans, employing the use of firearms and stealth, aided by capabilities such as a visual representation of sound in order to listen for locations of enemies. The player can also craft weapons or medical items by combining items found in the world.

Joel, a brutal survivor, and Ellie, a brave young teenage girl who is wise beyond her years, must work together if they hope to survive their journey across the US.